Posts filed under 'MBLE'

It has been two weeks since I started my new journey. I am here to pursue my master degree, business logistics engineering. Fisher is a totally environment for my classmates and me. We have a relatively busy schedule, which is at least two courses a day, various seminar and info session to attend. What is more important, everyone has to face the stress from both homework and job hunting.

Strategy Logistics Management impresses me most. We just have attended the class twice. We are lucky enough to have two guest speakers, one from Verizon and another from Walmart. Most of my classmate are Chinese student just graduating from university without working experiences, so the first people cannot be engaged. Fortunately, this week we had a presentation from International Logistics Department of Walmart. We all know Walmart more or less, so the atmosphere is amazing, most of my classmate put forward their questions, ranging from corporation strategy to shopping experiences. Both the guest speaker and we enjoyed a lot. One more thing, to our great surprise, we had to take a quiz at the time we just attended the class only one time. We are still not used to this kind of rhythm, which forces us to read the textbook and supplemental materials.

Last Thursday our professor David Widdifield led us to a distribution center of 31 Gifts, a handbag and accessories manufacturer in Columbus.

Before that, we first had a guest speaker from KMH Systems, who presented to us about what they provided for their clients on solving supply chain problems. He gave us an idea about how to implement automation in supply chain and how to design a warehouse. 5 factors were brought out, which are space, layout, equipment, information systems, and management. Actually there are still a lot to learn. After that, we went to the distribution center near Easton, where it is more convenient to provide goods with flexibility and high-velocity.

When we arrived there, the chief operation manager welcomed us and gave us a brief introduction about their company. Ten years ago, 31 was formed with a goal of helping women by giving them an opportunity to own their own business. Around the corner of the meeting room, we could see a huge pink heart shape poster. The manager said they actually import materials from China originally, and customize those semi-products into what the consumers want, to meet their own need. Also, they reduce the return percentage through quality control and good service. Then, he showed us the warehouse. Some pictures of the distribution center are shown below.

The most amazing part is that they don’t have a lot of workers, instead they purchased automotive machine sewing and stitching machines. All they need to do is create designs according to the customers’ requirement. They had a bunch of templates in their database, so that they could choose what they need easily. Then the machine could operate itself. As you can see below, usually, it takes 3 minutes to complete a whole design.

By applying automation, they could be able to reduce the cost and increase the profit, while improving the productivity. At the same time, they could take the advantage of economy of scale. After they complete the manufacturing process, they continue the quality control process and handling them into different category according to different customers manually. As we could see in the picture, they record the whole process on the board in order to observe and improve the process.

After all these, they could sort them into several packages and ship them to different destination. We observed the whole process and have a general idea about how they operate. I still feel there is a lot to learn but I was able to gain more experience in the field.

Finally, I got time to write something. After a crazy and busy “quiz” week, setting in my chair, enjoying my breakfast, I start to record my life here backwards. So many things happened in August, first day in Columbus, met my host family in airport, lost my luggage, check-in, orientation, ESL test, Health-screening, orientation, another orientation, Career foundation seminar, paid tuition, rejected by bank, first class, first quiz, awesome RPAC. However, none of these I would like to talk about, because I find those topics are far back to one month ago and some people have already written about them. Today I want to tell everybody the coolest thing I did last week during the Labor Day break.

Since I didn’t get the football tickets, which I believe would have a lot of fun too; I went to the Niagara Falls with folks I met in IFI. It is necessary that I introduce IFI a little bit. IFI stands for International Friendships, helping international students have a smooth transfer to United States and make friends with other people. Rich, the leader of IFI invited us to that trip and he contacted his friends in Buffalo, NY asking whether they could accommodate us. Fortunately, they agreed. We set out on Saturday and arrived at Buffalo at night. I have to say our host family was so enthusiastic, she kept talking with us totally ignoring how tired we were after the long drive. But I mean it in the good way. She prepared towels for us because we would get on the jet boat the next day! She warned us never ever tried to sit in the front rows, you would get 100% wet! However, you know, it’s worth to try.

After having a Bible study in church on Sunday, it is a great church by the way; we went to Niagara Falls literally. Our first stop is jet boat! Everyone got a raincoat though, our guide said it is absolutely, definitely useless. The fact is he was right! I sat in the third row along the boat’s right side. It turned out to be the perfect direction at which huge water would target. So guess what, after the first time surfing in the Mickey wave, I got totally wet. The water poured everywhere. And several times going up and down, I embraced the wet and enjoyed it. I couldn’t find any single part of my body that is dry, even my underwear. We ride on the boat visiting the great electricity plants, dams, and the famous whirlpool. But we could not be able to make through it, it is so dangerous. Sometime, human cannot fight against great nature.

Then, we went to see the American falls, three sisters’ islands, and enjoying the beautiful scenery around the park. While we were waiting for the amazing lightening falls at night, I taught my American friends how to play the Chinese card game, fight the landlord. We had a great fun time playing that game. A part of Niagara Falls belongs to Canada, and Canada actually has a better view on the falls. They shot a colorful light on the falls from Canada, and we can enjoy it on a sky-bridge here in U.S. The light changed color every few minutes. That was awesome. Pictures are better proof than words. Please enjoy them!

The third, that was Labor Day, we went on the cruise heading to the Canadian falls, it is called Maid of the Mist, which allowed us to have a close experience on Niagara Falls. And again, totally wet when we got closer, the powerful falls arouse the water when they hit the rocks. The sound was so loud and it really sound like storm. After that, we went to the cave of winds and hiked around the fall. When we arrived at the hurricane spot, we can directly feel the falls by touching it. And again, wholly wet. Everybody was screaming while enjoying.

Anyway, during this trip, I experienced something brand new, and learned a lot about American culture. I guess that is the meaning of going out and open mind. Thanks IFI gave me that chance to Niagara Falls. Later on, I will tell more interesting stories about my gradlife on blog.

This past Thursday was my first experience with CSCMP. CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) is an international organization for supply chain professionals. During the luncheon, I was informed by an active member that the Columbus CSCMP Roundtable is among the oldest roundtables dating back to ~50 years ago. The long history was impressive but what really impressed me most was the new knowledge you get from attending the event.

The adventure started at 10:15am (departing from Gerlach Hall). Steve Singer, career consultant for MAcc, MLHR, SMF, and MBLE, was our driver. It was also his first time to CSCMP Roundtable, and it was really nice of him to take 11 students to the event. Ever since I went to Fisher, I realized that networking is one of the most important things you actually learn in business school. Studying is definitely important but business school separates from other graduate programs in that “soft” abilities such as communication are emphasized more, as they might be the keys to our future success. Therefore, we dressed in “business formal” and embraced the golden opportunity to go into the meeting room with experienced supply chain professionals.

Upon arriving, networking started even before we entered the meeting room. I approached the people around me and made introductions. People were nice and they enjoyed sharing their experiences with me. Also, at the end of the luncheon, Steve taught us a lesson of how to network even if you are not an expert in the field . According to him, using some more personal interest-related topics (e.g. football, etc.) is definitely helpful. Surely, there were people in the fields of procurement, inventory management, transportation management as well as supply chain consulting … how could I have same level of interest to their field and have a nice professional discussion with them all?

This luncheon had a specific topic. IBM North American Leader in Optimization & Supply Chain Software Group gave us a presentation about optimization in supply chain. The presentation was built on very large quantity of data and information. Lack of experience as well as “English as a second language” created somewhat of a barrier for me … however, I still was able to get a sense of the latest trends in the field of supply chain management and I definitely enhanced my understanding of the concept “optimization” as practiced in the real world.

After 2 week relay, I am back to write my blog again. The two week absence is result of three midterms this past week. When the class started, I already felt that focusing on the lecture for longer than 100 minutes was impossible. Even if I am paying all of my attention to the professor, I can hardly catch his humor. Studying in a foreign language is really a big challenge for me.

The first exam, Logistics Management, turned out quite unexpected but was unexpectedly good. Although I struggled to try to remember all the key points for a question, the professor is kind to only ask for two main points. The exam was simple in format but was complex in that it tested our understanding of the class content.

For the second exam, the professor wrote the exam and included some of his personal humor. For the bonus question, he set up 5 choices of names, asking which one is the president of US that brought about most changes in the transportation regulation. However, 3 out 5 names are those of former football coaches at Ohio State. I was surprised when I heard the underlying story of his choices and felt embarrassed because I happened to randomly picked the most famous coach!

I was rather unsatisfied with my performance in the third class, Linear Programming. It is the the only course we are taking from the College of Engineering. As MBLE is a combined program between Fisher and Engineering, we will spend half of the total credit hours on engineering related courses. My classmates were happy to see that the exam was not as difficult as the homework.

Now the first exams in Fisher are over, I am much more aware of how to study and prepare for the exams, so I guess I will be fine for final exams – at least I will not be sleepless for 2 nights out of nervousness

This week is all about career fairs. I took part in both the Fisher and TLA career fairs. The first one is for Fisher students and the second is for logistics majors. There is also a graduate career fair next week.

Before the career fair
There is a lot of preparation that students need to do before the career fair. According to the Fisher Office of Career Management (“OCM”), we should first investigate the companies we are targeting, then work on our “personal commercial,” which is a small personal introduction in a quiet business setting. My preparation went smoothly with the help of the Career Fair Guide, accessible from the OCM website and on-site.

During the career fair
Never before did I feel such pressure. I was dressed up, wearing high heels that I am still not used to, trying to make a professional impression on others. The big ballroom was crowded with people but there were some booths not occupied with students. Whenever I made eye contact with a company employee who was available, I went directly toward them, because I think it is rude not to talk with them after making eye contact. I sometimes struggled on what I should say, what question(s) I should ask.

After the career fair
Following up is perhaps the most difficult step. First, you need to ensure you keep track of everyone you speak to – you need to ensure you get everyone’s business card and write a quick note on the back of each in order to help you remember anything about your conversation with that person. Right now, I am still writing emails to those people I met and am looking forward for replies.

Yesterday it felt like winter in Columbus as the temperature fell 10 degrees to below 50F. Wind and cold rain swept across the street. However, in such a chilly first day of October, I was surprised by the full Ohio Stadium. Is football really so important that people would give up their warm houses and get soaked?

Actually, this is my second football game experience. Last time I was late by 40 minutes and exposed to the direct sunlight; this time I stayed in a building so I only watched half of the game. The rain cooled my enthusiasm toward football. On my way to the football game, I saw people wearing scarlet raincoats heading to the parking lot. These small groups of people further surprised me. If they watched the game when it was raining, why did they leave at the end of second quarter?

Upon my arrival in Ohio Stadium, I looked up at the scoreboard. The score was far from satisfying. The Michigan State University fans were more fervent than fans of the home team. Maybe we Buckeyes were just disappointed by the performance of our team. They missed too many catches. Accompanied with “Ouch” from all directions, I also felt at a loss. After only a month in Ohio, I developed a strong sense of belonging here. We have a united community.

As time went by, the sense of disappointment grew and turned into anger. OSU was making more mistakes. People started to shout “Take away his scholarship!” Suddenly, I understood, in some sense, people pay for the game in the way of tickets. The words were a little disrespectful, but really made sense – if you pay to get into the stadium, you want to see a good game.

The ballgame was about to end and we were behind with a shameful score of 0 – 10. The audience became silent and left at a faster pace. However, in the last minute, OSU scored. It happened so fast that I did not realize it until I saw the replay. The cheers lasted a few minutes, like grasping at straws. People started to expect a turnover at the very last minute, but the result remained: we lost. Unlike the previous game vs Colorado \, the game ended with silence – only MSU fans were singing all the way out of the stadium.

Today is the 30th day since I arrived in Columbus. After waiting for about a month, my first class began 3 days ago. In short, OSU is beyond my imagination even though I have properly prepared myself for a brand new environment. Here are some of the shocks:

1. You need to be in good shape if you want to walk around the entire OSU campus! In fact, according to my experience from the campus walk during orientation, merely circling the main campus, takes at least an hour. The campus here is very big. One thing that really intrigued me is that on the outskirt of campus there is a pasture that includes barns for raising horses, cattle, etc.. When I passed it, I was thinking, ah, it must be an authentic American farm Luckily, we have CABS and COTA, so a trip around campus is possible much more easily and quickly than walking!

2. Classes are really interactive. I am still not used to asking questions so freely. In the past, taking notes are deemed the second most important part of class (other than focusing on the context). Every time I want to say something, I feel like struggling against my shyness. Here, the short but really important question – any question – will always be followed by a lot of other questions. Class participation makes up at least 10 percent of class scores, especially at Fisher.

3. People are close and accessible. Professors, staffs and students mix in all kinds of activities. I cannot believe that I met the President of OSU, E. Gordon Gee before class begins. I just walked up and said hello and asked him for permission to take a photo together. On the contrary, the only time I stand close to the President of my undergraduate school was during graduation. I was just one of eight percent lucky students to be presented diplomas by my undergrad university’s president.

President Gee took photos with dozens of students at an event – and I was one of those lucky students!

No one except me can identify myself in this photo! And it’s a stretch to call it a “photo with the university president”

4. Plagiarism is taken very seriously here. During orientation, we spent more than 2 hours on plagiarism. The school also created a well-designed document to accentuate the influences and consequences of plagiarism. Although I have taken it seriously in the past, I have never taken plagiarism so seriously in last 4 years. It will definitely be one of the things I pay attention to in the upcoming year!

I am a graduate student in the Fisher MBLE, or Master of Business Logistics Engineering, program at Fisher. If you you are thinking of applying for this program or have already received your office of admission, congratulations!. Let me tell you about an advantage you can look forward to in this program.

When you start the Fisher MBLE curriculum, you might be get nervous or embarrassed because you do not know where to start even though you are flooded with lots of information. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. You will not miss any information and take your time with advice, tips, and information the school offers. However, let me tell you something about a huge organization for all future or current supply chain professionals. It’s called the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, or CSCMP. At the beginning, you may keep saying ‘CS..What? What is it?’ You will hear about it many many times. Simply, it’s a council that MBLE students can (and should) join. You only need to pay a $30 fee to become a member of the council. You will see a lot of opportunities and information which will help you understand practical issues, career search, and regional activities, related to the study and practice of logistics.

I’d like talk about Columbus regional activities. Once you become a member, you will receive emails regarding regional activities in the area. Activities include presentations, seminars, and field trips to logistics facilities.

Registering for an event costs you about $15, but it will be worth it. (Walk-in fee for non-members is about $40.) You will hear about current issues, meet current professionals in the field, and network with them about supply chain and logistics. When you take a field trip, you will see, hear, and experience how logistics and supply chain systems are working out there in the real world.

Well, I can spend more and more time talking about this organization, but I want to tell you this:

1. Do not be overwhelmed with all the information you will receive upon application and (hopefully!) admission. Everything will be explained by the MBLE program adviser, faculty director and/or related personnel.

2. Do not be passive if you’re in the program – search, join, and mingle! Opportunities to be involved are plenty at Fisher.

Let me give you some tips on how to get the most out of living in the dormitory on campus in terms of where to go to buy groceries and to study.

Grocery Stores : If you’re living on or very near campus, I highly recommend you to go to Kroger for your groceries unless you always eat out. Actually, as far as I know, there are 3 Krogers around the campus, one in South campus area (near High/King), another in the North (near High/N Broadway), and the other near University Village (near Ackerman/Olentangy River Rd). If you live in a campus dormitory or very near campus, they are located conveniently near campus. As I am living in the Neil dormitory in south campus I go to the Kroger at North High St and 7th Ave. Just make sure to get a Kroger “frequent buyer” card, and then you can take advantage of various discounts, which change every week. I am pretty sure that they have quite low prices for fresh grocery products. Another place I want to tell you is the Target on the Olentangy River Road in Lenox Town Center. It may seem to be a little far to go, but if you you like to walk or if you have a bike, it’s a reasonable distance and not bad at all. Target focuses more on non-food products such as clothing, electronics, and a wide range of household products, but they have some non-perishable food such as juices, cereals, and bread. Near Target, there is an office supply retailer called Staples – additionally, there is a Famous Footwear (shoes), and Barnes and Noble (books, stationery) so that you can actually get in a fair amount of shopping in a single trip.

Study Room : I am a big fan of the school’s main library, Thompson Library, because it is large/spacious and has many places to read and study in it. Wireless internet accessible with power outlets everywhere! In addition to the main library, there are several other libraries on campus. If you research on the school web site, it is not hard to find information on the other libraries. There is one in the architecture college, one in the science engineering building, one in the Younkin Success Center, one in the medical school, one in the law school, and so on. They each have different operating hours/days, so please be aware of what library is available when you study. Do not believe that you only have the Thompson library to study in on campus.

Restaurant : Well, even though you can get food in the school dining facilities, unless you have a “short mouth” – in Korea, ‘having a short mouth’ is used when you do not have a balanced diet and eat only what you want to eat – take a trip to North High Street! There you can see Korean food, Chinese food, Mexican food, American food (for sure), and many kinds of food I have not even tasted or identified. Just a big gourmet!

Overall, if you stay on/near campus, do not hesitate to explore and find what is near you!